IN TODAY'S ISSUE: Results are out, it's 21-18 favouring Congress and allies in the Goa assembly - Details of a fascinating new book related to Indo-Portuguese and Portuguese colonial history - Recipe from Rajasthan - New Goanet poll - Listings of who posted on Goanet last month.

o Latest seat-tally in Goa assembly after bye-election results on June 05, 2005:

Congress camp
Congress 18
NCP 02
MGP 01
Total 21

BJP camp
BJP 17
UGDP 01
Total 18

Above figures courtesy digitalgoa.com

o Independent MLA Filipe Neri Rodrigues was disqualified by Speaker Vishwas Satarkar, and the matter lies in court. Police recently (reluctantly?) announced that the papers, on the basis of which he was disqualified, showing that he had joined the BJP, were forged. High Court has also disqualified two BJP MLAs, and given them a month to appeal. There has been some debate over whether they have a right to vote.

o Goa tourism director Elvis Gomes suspended in 'River Princess' case. He was in overall charge of the tendering process for removing the vessel lying grounded off the Candolim-Sinquerim beach for almost five years. (NT)

o Goa University Registrar Jayant Budkule tenders his resignation. He was an appointee of the Parrikar government, but the media reports give no reason other than saying he wanted to "rejoin the teaching profession". (NT)

o SO WHAT'S THE TRUTH? Digitalgoa.com says the children's cell of the Goa Police on Saturday evening raided house of chief election officer Rajiv Yaduvanshi in connection with a complaint of employing a minor maid. Navhind Times reports: "On receiving an anonymous call information that a child has been employed as a domestic servant, the member of the justice juvenile board and director of NES-Childline Ms P Serrao inspected the residence of secretary Rajiv Yaduvanshi and found it was a hoax call." Political message at result time to a politics-tainted bureaucracy?

o MINERAL FOUNDATION OF GOA gives small adverts in the newspapers on World Environment Day. Deeds, not words? Or a case of few words, few deeds?

o AN "AUSTRALIAN BUSINESS" is calling for people to "work from home, phone or via the Internet". Wayne Levi. Click here for more information -- after the scams Goa has been seeing, some might be skeptical.

o SIGN OF THE TIME? POOR HEALTHCARE HERE? An advert in the Goa newspapers reads, "The most preferred heart-care destination in Goa is Wockhardt Heart Hospital, Bangalore." It says it is soon launching a new 350-bed super specialty hospital offering services in cardiology/cardiac surgery, orthopedics, neurology/neurosurgery and women's health at Bangalore. Click here to access website or email whhi@vsnl.com

o Naptha tanker turns turtle at Cuncolim. (GT/W)

o Panjim fears monsoon fury after IFFI fest (Nerita Baptista). (H)

o Schools to crack whip on under-aged riders. (H)

o Datta Palekar, arrested for his role in the Mala-Fontainhas vandalism case, has been released on bail and surety of Rs 1000.(H)

o Cause of Our Joy, COOJ, a charitable trust, has extended its opening of a psychiatric OPD, and inauguration of its Sahodaya Chicalim branch in South Goa. (GT/W)

o Portugal's consul general in Goa, Pedro Cabral Adao (35), says: "(I am) always in love with music. From classical to pop, Jazz to world music. I am even enjoying Konkani music with Lorna and Remo, just to mention two of them, and Hindi with Zeher." (GT/W)

o QUOTE: Mine-owner Dattaraj Salgaocar pays tribute to businessman and industrialist late Pascoal Menezes: "Prior to Liberation, the economy of Goa was essentially trade-oriented relying entirely on the imported consumer goods to meet domestic demand in Goa. Late Mr Pascoal Menezes was older to my father V M Salgaocar by six years. Both being in the trading business, they became close friends. For both men, the relationship was one of opposites attracting each other, which went beyond the exigencies of business; they genuinely liked each other and it was not long before my late father was invited to become part of a select group which met once a week, and called itself, with quiet discretion, the Sunday Club, at which the members of the club, who represented a cross-section of the trading community, met regularly to discuss the opportunities and challenges that the trade faced, the tumult and scheming, trials and failures, hard strife, when the Goan trade scenario witnessed the golden era and when men's honour was the only currency worth the name." From Goan Observer, June 4-10, 2005.

o Bata shops raided for 'price fixing'. In major raids conducted across shoe shops at Margao, Mapusa and Ponda, officials of the weights and measures department seized rainy shoes worth Rs 50,000 after their prices were found smudged. (H)

CANADA/MAJORDA: Cypriano 'Cypru' Godinho. Husband of Frieda Godinho, father of Keith and Kathy-Lu, Son of late Joao Antonio and late Seraphina Godinho, brother of Agnelia Godinho. Son-in-law of late Constance and Virgine Godinho. Brother-in-law of Fredrick/Hazel, Fiona/Adrian, Franky/Lorna. Expired suddenly on June 2. Funeral to take place in Toronto.

GOA PLAYS, BUT ONLY JUST: Nike's Play-to-Win football talent search competition at Don Bosco (Panjim) was low in numbers but high on excitement. The Goa entries, numbering 284, paled in comparison to those of their Bangalore and Kochi counterparts. But on the entertinment, enthusiasm and excitement quotient, Goa lived up to its Mecca tag.

Description from its founder Dr Santosh Helecar of Houston (also known as Pandurang Fernandes of the Republic of Chimbel): This is a forum for all outspoken Goans and Goaphiles who want to happily engage in heated debates on an unlimited and unrestricted assortment of controversial subjects.

- He explains further: "From what I know, in Chimolchi/Ponnjechi Konknni "xapotam" ... refers to things said in argumentative/combative discourse by people who may or may not know what they are talking about. A xapoti or xapoterr (in Sashti, I believe it is xapotcar) is a man who is self-assertive and opinionated. The word is used invariably in a derogatory sense. But in the Goa of my youth even justified assertiveness i.e. speaking out with reason or proper justification, was regarded as a negative quality. Children and students who asked questions were looked down upon as a rule by their peers and grown-ups. I can even remember folks calling genuinely knowledgeable and enlightened individuals xapoterr for expressing their views in a forthright manner."

- "Therefore, if you have not guessed it by now, given my rebellious nature, the reason for calling this forum Goenchim Xapotam is to rebel against these derisive connotations of "xapotam", and to wrest from Goa of yesteryears an entirely neutral meaning for it."

DON'T WORK TO DESTROY OTHERS: Dr Joaquim DeSouza writes in with a Tiscali Italy address: "Frankly lets stop behaving like we Goans seem to be doing normally which is destroy other Goans. Why can we not become as other communities where we are proud to see fellow Goans succeed? My sincere personal suggestion to fellow Goans is why can we not all as Goans assist fellow Goans top succeed, as other societies are doing this with proven responses, while we are trying to drag those who have succeeded! And may I add, with no help from most of us."

An interesting, large-sized book consisting of a number of interesting papers presented at a Goa seminar. Themes include George Winius on the Luso-Dutch rivalry in Asia; Dejanirah Couto on the interpreters or 'Linguas' in the sixteenth century Portuguese Empire; Lotika Varadarajan on Indo-Portuguese textiles; Helder Carita on the architectural structures of Hindu temples and parish churches in Goa; John Everaert on shifting the 'diamond connection' -- Antwerp and the gem trade with Portuguese India; Stephen Michaelsen on the German Welser company in Portugal and Asia in the sixteenth century; Joseph Velinkar on the early visits to India and Portugal and individual trade; and B Arunachalam on Portuguese cartography of the Indian coasts during the 16th century. Details from Fatima Gracias

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The cuisine of Rajasthan is a product of its geographical, historical and cultural background, it has its own unique flavor and the simplest and the most basic of ingredients go into the preparation of many of its dishes. This popular meat kebab from Rajasthan is quick and easy to prepare and full of flavor.

Rub the meat with limejuice, half of the ginger/garlic paste, salt and raw papaya paste. Let it rest for about 15 minutes. Beat the curd/yogurt until smooth. Mix with the remaining ginger/garlic paste, chili powder, brown onion paste, desiccated coconut and oil; marinate the meat in it for about 4 to 5 hours or preferably overnight. Take each strip of meat, pierce and place on the skewers. Baste with pure ghee and cook over hot coals or in a tandoor. The kebabs may be grilled in an oven. But I was told that coals give best results. Serve hot with shredded onions, lime wedges and green chili.

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